Barry Jenkins could become the first black person to win best director; Damien Chazelle could be the youngest person to win the best director award at age 32; Lin-Manuel Miranda could be the youngest person to win an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) at age 37 for best original song; Viola Davis could be the first black person to win the triple crown of acting (Tony, Oscar, Emmy) if she wins best supporting actress; and "La La Land" could garner the most wins for a single film (currently at 11) with its 14 nominations.

References to #OscarsSoWhite

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences received intense criticism the last two years for the lack of diversity in its nominees, specifically all of the acting nominees being white people. The hashtag #OscarsSoWhite erupted on Twitter and the backlash eventually led to the academy making changes in order to diversify its voting members.

While there are people of color nominated in all of the acting fields this year, there's still a lack of diversity in nominees whose role is behind the camera. Many people expect the topic of diversity, or lack there of, will be addressed at this year's ceremony in either Kimmel's monologue or in acceptance speeches.

So far this award season, many of the acceptance speeches have focused on today's political climate.

When actress Meryl Streep won the Golden Globe's lifetime achievement award this winter, she called out President Donald Trump for allegedly mocking a disabled reporter and advocated for the freedom of the press. Moonlight star Mahershala Ali delivered a poignant speech about accepting fellow Muslims when he won a Screen Actors Guild Award. The speech came days after Trump signed an executive order banning entry to immigrants from seven majority-Muslim countries.

The Oscars is the most-watched ceremony during award season, and usually garners between 35-40 million U.S., according to The Hollywood Reporter. With the large spotlight and recent protests throughout the country, it's expected that many of the winners will address Trump or his politics this year.

Late night host Jimmy Kimmel will serve as the master of ceremonies Sunday and host the Oscars for the first time this year.

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The comedian has a lot of famous friends— like John Krasinski and Jennifer Aniston, to name a few— so it's possible they might make an appearance during the ceremony. Kimmel has a famous skit for having a "feud" with actor Matt Damon, who nominated for his role as producer for the movie "Manchester By the Sea."

When Kimmel hosted the 2016 Emmys, Damon came out on stage and jokingly taunted Kimmel for losing an Emmy to comedian John Oliver. It's expected that the two "frenemies" will reunite Sunday.

In memoriam

At every ceremony, the Oscars has a tribute to academy members who died in the past year. Several Hollywood stars died in 2016, including Alan Rickman, Prince, Garry Marshall, Gene Wilder and Mary Tyler Moore.

Actress Debbie Reynolds, of "Singing in the Rain" fame, and her daughter actress Carrie Fisher, known as Princess Leia in "Star Wars," also died at the end of 2016. The deaths of the two cinematic icons could result in a special tribute at this year's Oscars.

The race for best picture

During the beginning of award season, "La La Land" has been viewed as the favorite to win best picture. Despite some criticisms for cultural appropriation, the musical won seven Golden Globes, the most for a single movie, and has 14 Academy Award nominations. "Moonlight" might have a chance at best picture due to its high critical praise. And "Hidden Figures" is seen as a potential dark horse, since the cast won best ensemble at the Screen Actors Guild awards.

But many critics believe the golden statue will go to the movie that celebrates the movie business.

When 12 mysterious spaceships arrive on Earth, the U.S. government hires a linguistic expert (Amy Adams) to figure out how to communicate with the extraterrestrials. "Arrival" can be rented on iTunes or Amazon.

FENCES

Based on August Wilson's play, "Fences" follows a Pittsburgh sanitation worker (Denzel Washington) who dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player. Now a father and husband, Troy's failed dream affects his relationships with his family. "Fences" is playing at Bow Tie Harbour 9, 2474 Solomons Island Rd., Annapolis, MD 21401

HACKSAW RIDGE

The movie follows the true story Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield), who was the first conscientious objector to win the Congressional Medal of Freedom. He saved 75 men in Okinawa during World War II without ever using a gun. "Hacksaw Ridge" can be rented on Amazon.

HELL OR HIGH WATER

Two brothers (Chris Pine and Ben Foster) start robbing branches of the bank that foreclose their family's land. The Texas ranger (Jeff Bridges) searching to find them is hoping to have one more arrest before retiring. You can rent "Hell of High Water" on Amazon.

HIDDEN FIGURES

The film tells the story of three African-American women —Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson— who worked at NASA and are responsible for launching astronaut John Glenn into orbit. The movie, which stars Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae, is playing at Bow Tie Harbour 9 Regal, Waugh Chapel Stadium 12, 1419 S Main Chapel Way in Gambrills, and IMAX Cinemark Egyptian 24 and XD, 7000 Arundel Mills Circle in Hanover.

LA LA LAND

The original musical follows an aspiring actress (Emma Stone) and jazz musician (Ryan Gosling) who struggle to pursue their dreams in Los Angeles. They're faced with the decision of whether to follow love or achieve stardom. The movie is playing at Bow Tie Harbour 9 Regal, Waugh Chapel Stadium 12 and IMAX Cinemark Egyptian 24 and XD.

LION

A five-year-old boy gets lost on a train, separating him from his family and home in India. He eventually gets adopted by an Australian couple and, at age 30, Saroo (Dev Patel) tries to find his birth mother by using Google Earth. The movie is playing at Bow Tie Harbour 9 and Cinemark Egyptian 24 and XD.

MANCHESTER BY THE SEA

After his brother dies, a Boston handyman (Casey Affleck) returns to his hometown to be the guardian of his 16-year-old nephew. He's forced to confront a tragedy that occurred earlier in his life. The movie is playing at select times at Bow Tie Harbour 9. It can also be rented on Amazon or iTunes.

Told in three acts, the film follows the life of a boy growing up in a poor Miami neighborhood who struggles with his mother's addiction to drugs and his sexuality. You can rent the movie on Amazon or iTunes.